This invention generally relates to religious devices and more particularly to a ceremonial luminary utilized in worship.
Light has played an important role in symbolic and ceremonial proceedings for thousands of years. Illumination and light are felt to be the symbol of a deity across a wide range of religions and non-secular organizations. This illumination can also represent qualities such as love, sacrifice and communication or prayer with that deity. In Christianity, for example, both Jesus and God are symbolically represented, throughout the Bible, as light.
One aspect of all religions is the eternal, never-ending and constant presence of the respective deity. This is a crucial and vital aspect of the religion or non-secular organization. By having a luminary, in the form of a lamp, constantly shine in the place of worship, provides this symbolic presence of the deity for the worshiper and provides a constant reminder for everything that the light signifies. These illuminaries typically have the designation as eternal lights. However, a significant problem is that these illuminaries have a finite life. Even if the source of energy or fuel is constant, the portion of the illuminary that transmits light will inevitably burnout. This can be demoralizing to the group of people worshipping or attending a ceremony due to the infinite and timeless symbolic qualities brought into existence by the light. When the illuminary ceases to provide light, all of the symbolic and ceremonial aspects associated therewith will be negated by showing the transitory and finite nature of life. The uplifting and everlasting qualities provided by an illuminary, having a designation as eternal light, will then have the opposite effect and leave people with a hollow and empty feeling after the ceremony.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of this invention, a ceremonial illuminary is disclosed. The ceremonial illuminary includes a voltage supply mechanism, a switching mechanism that is electrically connected to the voltage supply mechanism, an enclosure, a first lamp electrically connected to the switching mechanism and secured within the enclosure, and a second lamp electrically connected to the switching mechanism and secured within the enclosure, wherein the switching mechanism provides voltage to the first lamp to illuminate the first lamp and then switches to provide voltage to the second lamp instead of the first lamp when the first lamp burns-out and no longer illuminates.
In another aspect of this invention, a process for providing illumination with ceremonial lighting for symbolic and ceremonial purposes is disclosed. The process includes providing voltage to the first lamp, that is electrically connected to a switching mechanism, wherein the switching mechanism is electrically connected to a voltage supply mechanism, to illuminate a first lamp, and switching to provide voltage to a second lamp, that is electrically connected to the switching mechanism, instead of the first lamp when the first lamp burns-out and no longer illuminates, wherein the first lamp and the second lamp are secured within an enclosure.